#WeAllGrow Latina is organizing a force of bilingual latinas willing to donate translation or interpretation services to organizations offering legal services to kids separated from their families. ¿Te apuntas?

No matter where our families come from, Latinos are united by language. In the U.S., our ability to successfully navigate our cultures is deeply tied to the ability to speak more than one language.

Ironically, it is also our language, our accents, that are used against us - what should be a point of pride, proof that we can speak more than one language, is for many a sign that we are the “other” and that we don’t belong.

We say ¡basta! - let’s reclaim our bilingual superpowers and use them for good. In these times of crisis, what ties us together is also what allows us to help in ways that others can’t.

If you would like to donate your culture and language skills to help children in need, your skills are critically needed. ¡Unidas podemos ayudar!

FAQs

So what’s the plan?

The plan is to get a group together of bilingual latinas willing to donate their language abilities - whether you can translate written Spanish → English, written English → Spanish, simultaneous interpretation, or critically, if you speak indigenous languages - we want to know who you are so we can can connect you with organizations that desperately need language help.

What’s the time commitment?

Answer: It depends on where you volunteer. Each group has different requirements. We just want to know that you are willing to use your language superpowers for good, and we’ll connect you to the right people.

What level of proficiency is needed?

We’re not looking for certified translators (although it’s obviously ideal if you are!) and you certainly don’t have to be a lawyer or paralegal. Sometimes they need people to accompany children to hearings, sometimes they need help translating birth certificates, and sometimes you’ll be asked to help lawyers communicate with families via text - believe it or not, language barriers can make something a simple as setting up an appointment unnecessarily burdensome. If you can help ease that, we want to help you do that.

The plan is to offer our army of bilingual guerreras opportunities to help, and you can choose when you want to raise your hand and offer your services where your skills match the need.